Were You Asked To Be on a Speaker Panel?

This year’s US Open Tennis Tournament came to a close this past weekend. Both the winners and the runners-up delivered speeches, and that got me thinking about what two of my favorite things… tennis and public speaking… have in common (aside from capturing my attention both day and night for the last two weeks!).

One of the things that makes tennis so compelling is that it’s a solo sport. Granted, there are plenty of tennis players who have entourages, but none of those people can swing the racquet for the player. When it comes to that, they’re on their own. It’s the same for us as speakers. We can have a great support team helping us pull together everything we need to be a speaker, but no one can speak for us. Ultimately, when we step on the stage, we’re on our own.

Tennis is one of the few sports you can play both individually and with others, which is another similarity with public speaking. I can take the stage and speak alone, like I’d do for a keynote. But I can also be part of a panel presentation where I’d be sharing the stage with at least one other person.

Is being part of a speaker panel something you should be on the lookout for? In my opinion, new and varied speaking experiences always look great on a speaker’s resume. If you haven’t thought about speaking on a panel before, here are some of the things you’ll want to consider if someone does ask.

• Similar to any other time you’re asked to speak, the person inviting you to be a part of their panel has a specific audience and topic/message in mind. Is your expertise an obvious fit for the panel in your mind? If not, you’ll need to ask the host which aspect of your expertise they want you to highlight.
• Find out who the moderator and the other panelists are. Sometimes panelists aren’t encouraged to interact with the moderator or each other ahead of time because the host wants a more organic experience for the audience. I can’t say yay or nay to this situation… only that I’d still want to find out enough about the panel to make sure my topic and expertise are a good fit.
• If that’s not a concern, will the host be virtually bringing all of you together ahead of time? Will you collectively discuss everyone’s point of view so you can figure out how to bring your individual topic and expertise together to build a strong panel?

If you decide to say yes:

• You’ll want to prepare a brief to-the-point speaker bio about how your expertise fits within the panel’s topic.
• Even though you won’t be giving a “signature talk,” make sure to prepare the specific points you want to share with the audience.
• Check with your host/moderator if it’s okay to interact with the audience, such as asking questions that can be answered by a show of hands, etc.
• As always, be respectful of all time constraints.
• Don’t monopolize the conversation.
• Be open to the other panelist’s opinions, and pay attention when other speakers are speaking.

One more item to take into consideration has to do with the audience. When someone invites you to be on a panel, chances are very good you’ll be introduced to an audience you might not have had access to otherwise, which makes it an excellent opportunity to share your brand and create new relationships. There really are many possibilities when it comes to being a part of a panel… and maybe even hosting a panel discussion yourself!

So yes, most of us are more accustomed to speaking solo. But there’s no doubt that both “singles” and “doubles” have a lot of value to offer, whether it’s tennis or speaking!